Sterilizer



H. BAEH'H.

STERILIZER.

APPLICATION FILED 1UNE27| |917- l,3'72,388. Patented Mar. 22, 1921. l15-1...

UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

HEBMINE nm, 0F BALTIMQRE, MARYLAND.

s'rEILfIzEa.

` Application led`June 27, 1917." Serial No. 177,338.`

To @ZZ whom z't may concern." i H Be it known that "I, HERMINE BAEHR, acitizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city of Baltimore and Stateof Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSterilizers, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains `to make and use the same.

The invention relates to a sterilizer. The object of the presentinvention is to improve the construction of sterilizers and to provide asimple, practical and inexpensive sterilizer of strong" and durablec0nstruction adapted for sterilizing dry goods, pasteurizing milk,canning and preserving fruits and vegetables and steaming variousarticles of food in the preparation of meals.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a sterilizer adaptedparticularly for the use of nurses and others in connection Vwith sickrooms, hospitals and the like and capable of enabling a relatively largeamount of material to be placed in bulk within the device, sterilizedand removed therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claimhereto appended; it being understood that various changes in theform,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within thescope of the claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spiritor sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

ln the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sterilizer constructed in accordancewith this in vention, a portion ofthe boiler or receptacle being brokenaway to show the supporting tra FYig. 2 is a transverse sectional viewof the sterilizer.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a woven wire tray.` y

Fig. l is a detail perspective view of a por tion of one of the hangersillustrating the construction of the supporting arm.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawin in which is illustrated the preferred emboiment of the invention, the sterilizer comprises inits construction ahorizontal supporting trayl constructed of woven wire and providedwith amarginal supporting flange formed by mar ginal wires 2 and 3. Thesupporting tray, which is designed to be suspended within an ordinarywash boilerl: or other suitable receptacle, has rounded or segmentalends 5 to conform to the configuration of the boiler, but it may be ofany other desired shape and may be used in connection with a similarreceptacle, as will be readily understood.

The tray is spaced from the bottom, sides and ends of the boiler and issuspended in the latter by oppositely disposed hangers 7, eachconstructed from a single iece of wire or other suitable material. lEachof the hangers is substantially inverted U-shape and includes spacedvertically disposed leg portions 8 connected at their upper ends by abiUht portion 9 which engages the exterior of the boiler. The upper endsof the leg portions are provided with U-shaped bends 11 that engage orstraddle the upper edge of the boiler and said leg portions extendoutwardly and downwardly `fromsaid bends 1l as at 10 to space the legportions from the boiler. The leg portions have their lower ends bent toform hooks 12 that engage the marginal flange of the tray and passthrough the woven wire to firmly and detachably secure said tray to thelegs so that said tray may be removed and rcplaced in the boiler by thehangers without liability of becoming detached therefrom.

Articles of clothing supported by the tray within the boiler areprevented from contacting with the latter by said tray and also the legportions of the hanger.

In the operation of the device, the goods or articles, to be steamed,sterilized, or otherwise treated by the action of the heat or steamwithin the boiler, are placed upon the tray and are permitted to remainwithin the same the required length of time to perform the desiredoperation, and it will be clear that as the supporting tray is arrangedin spaced relation with the bottom and the side walls of the boilerthere is no liability of the articles or goods being scorched throughcontact with the boiler or other receptacle.

What is claimed is:

A sterilizer including a receptacle and a woven wire tray of smallerperimeter than the receptacle and located within the latter and providedwith a marginal supporting flange, a pair of oppositely disposedvertical hangers arranged in the receptacle and comprising invertedsubstantially U-shaped members having their leg portions disposedvertically and having hooks formed on the lower ends, said hooksengaging the marginal flange of the tray and extending throughfthewovenwire, said legportions y having their'upper portions bent to extendupwardly and outwardly and bear against the inner face of the receptacleto space said leg portions from the latter, said leg portions havintheir upper ends bent to hook over the e ges of the receptacle with thebight portions engaging the exterior of said receptacle.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMINE BAEHR. Witnesses:

CHARLES A. KELso, SIMON SILVERBERG.

